Make a Plan to Love Me
by ice-woman
Summary: This story takes place towards the end of Season 6, right after Logan's accident. This is NOT a Logan/Rory story. Logan did start to grow on me, but I'm a serious Jess/Rory supporter, so here's yet another stab at rekindling their relationship.
1. When the Curious Girl Realizes She is

Make a Plan to Love Me  
Chapter One: When the Curious Girl Realizes She is Under Glass

This is a Rory/Jess story, so if you do not like Rory/Jess, don't say I didn't warn you! Logan is also in this story. It takes place right after Logan's accident in Season 6. Rory's left the hospital, but she's still not sure she wants to take Logan back.

Enjoy, and as always, r/r!

xXx

"You okay, kid?" Lorelai asked as she and Rory sat at Luke's. They'd ordered a load of food as always, but Lorelai noticed Rory had barely touched her pancakes, let alone her coffee.

"Yeah," Rory insisted, pushing a mushy lump of pancake around her plate with her fork.

"Hun, you've got to talk to me here," Lorelai pleaded, pushing Rory's fork down. "You've hardly said a word since you got here, and not that I wasn't thrilled to have you for the weekend, but hun, what's going on?"

Rory sighed, leaning back into her chair. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Lorelai nodded. "Logan?"

Rory shook her head. "I don't even want to talk about him. I mean, Jess was so right. Logan treats me like dirt, which is ironic, because Dean used to think Jess treated me like dirt, but he was wrong and Jess is right, and I just let him." She paused to inhale. "I mean, Logan got hurt and I was all emotional, but it was Logan's own stupid fault. He does these things and he doesn't think, and I can't handle all of that information about the bridesmaids. I mean, what, every time we fight, I'm supposed to assume it's okay that he sleeps with three girls? I cannot handle that!" Rory insisted firmly. "It's not right, and well, Jess is right."

Lorelai blinked. "Okay, see, I knew about the Logan stuff, and I agree with everything you just said, but uh, I am completely stumped when it comes to the Jess stuff."

Rory shrugged. "I figured Luke told you," she insisted.

"Yeah, he told me he went to see Jess in Philadelphia," Lorelai replied. "He said he was doing really well."

"Oh," Rory remarked. She should have known Luke wouldn't reveal her visiting Jess. Luke wasn't exactly the town blabbermouth. "Well," she began. "Jess's publishing house was having this thing, so I went to visit him and Luke, as you know, was there." She shrugged. "It was stupid and I shouldn't have even gone, but I did, and Jess and I..." She bit her lip.

"_Oh_," Lorelai remarked, eyes wide. "You and he...uhh..."

"No, no," Rory insisted shaking her head. "We just kissed, barely. I mean, I went there with the intention of _something_ happening, but then I couldn't go through with it."

"Because you were still with Logan?"

"Yeah," Rory replied. "It was such a terrible thing to do..."

"Well, hun, Logan wasn't exactly the greatest example of..."

"No, not to Logan, to Jess," Rory insisted.

"Okay, hun, maybe I'm missing a crucial piece to this puzzle, but I'm not seeing how Jess really factors into any of this," Lorelai insisted. "I mean, when did Jess jump back into the picture?"

Rory sighed. "Jess came to visit me when I was still living with grandma," she replied. "I though Luke might have told you that, too."

Luke picked that moment to swing by and refill their coffee. He looked at Rory's untouched plate. "Feeling okay?" he asked. Rory nodded.

"Uh, apparently you've been withholding crucial information," Lorelai pouted, shooting Luke an agitated face.

Luke turned to Rory. "What did I do?"

Rory smiled. "You were doing what you thought was best," she insisted, ushering him away. "Don't worry, I'll warm mom back up to you."

Luke ambled away reluctantly, throwing confused looks towards Lorelai. She signaled with her hand for him to turn around. She turned back to Rory. "Continue."

"Well, Luke told Jess where I was staying, rather reluctantly, I might add, and I didn't tell you, because we still weren't speaking," Rory explained. "Anyway, Jess came over to show me that he had written a book..."

"Jess wrote a book?" Lorelai remarked. "Wow."

"I know," Rory said, nodding. "I mean, I always knew he could, but the fact that he did...well, anyway, he was going around to independently owned book stores, trying to convince them to buy some of his books, and he was in the area, so he stopped by..."

"And the last time you saw him was..."

"After his mom's wedding," Rory filled her in. "When he came to my dorm and Dean was there..."

Lorelai looked confused.

"I didn't tell you that either?!" Rory remarked. "God, I must have this filter still where I avoid all Jess topics with you."

Lorelai nodded. "So, backing up to after Liz's wedding...?"

Rory exhaled loudly. "Okay, so Dean picked me up from that really bad date grandma initiated."

"Right," Lorelai nodded. "You mentioned that."

"So, he was walking me to my dorm, and then Jess showed up out of the blue," Rory remarked.

"Wow," Lorelai replied. "I cannot believe you didn't tell me this."

"I know," Rory said, shaking her head. "Last I had seen of him was when he told me he loved me and ran off."

"That one you mentioned."

Rory grinned. "So, I made Dean leave and Jess started rambling on about how sorry he was for the past and how he knew we were supposed to be together and that he wanted me to run away with him to New York or something..."

"Heavy," Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah, real heavy," Rory replied. "Anyway, this was right around the time that Dean and I..."

Lorelai nodded. "Your Hester Prynne impression. I do recall it well."

Rory rolled her eyes. "So, I didn't really listen to him and kept telling him to leave, and then he pretty much asked me if I still cared about him, and I said no, and he left."

"Harsh," Lorelai commented.

Rory shrugged. "He hurt me," she said simply. "For all I knew, by the time I got to the car, he'd have changed his mind."

"Still kind of romantic though," Lorelai insisted. "Who knew Jess had it in him?"

Rory grinned. "Well, he grew up a lot, and I knew he was sorry, but, I don't know. I just wasn't ready for Jess again."

"Understandable."

"So, then he shows up at grandma's house, and Logan was away, and so he gave me a copy of his book, and then we made plans to have dinner the next night, and you know, catch up."

"Dirty," Lorelai grinned.

"No!" Rory insisted, flinging a chunk of pancake at her mom. "I was with Logan, so catch up still just meant, catch up."

"Uh huh," Lorelai groaned, pretending to be bored. "Continue."

"So, then, Jess showed up and just as we're getting ready to leave, Logan shows up."

"The love triangle continues," Lorelai sang.

"Shut up," Rory remarked. "So we end up all going out to dinner and Logan was a complete jerk and Jess finally had enough and left."

"Big surprise..."

"_Mom_," Rory remarked. "Let me finish." Lorelai mimed zipping her mouth closed. Rory went on. "So, I went after Jess and he starting yelling at me, asking me what I was doing with a jerk like Logan, and yelling at me about dropping out of school, and not talking to you, and living with grandma, and working at the DAR."

"I'm beginning to like this Jess guy," Lorelai remarked, then frantically clamped her hand over her mouth.

Rory rolled her eyes. "So, anyway, he was right, and I knew it, and he's the reason why I went back to school and finally stopped going through whatever weird phase I was going through. And then, this invitation to his publishing house's party came, and Logan and I were fighting because of the bridesmaids, and well, I just went."

Lorelai raised her hand. Rory sighed. "You can talk now," she insisted.

"So, uh, wow," Lorelai started off. "You could totally write a book with all of the information you just disclosed there."

Rory nodded.

"So, uh, Jess is back in the picture?" Lorelai asked.

"No...um, well, I don't know," Rory replied. "Maybe, if Logan's definitely out of the picture."

"Well, hun, what are you going to do about Logan?"

Rory shrugged. "That's my dilemma. When he's happy, he's great, but when he's well _Logan_, he's just unbearable."

"Did you move back in with him?"

Rory shook her head. "I was going to, but I changed my mind. Until I know what I want, I thought I better stay with Paris, as horrible as that thought sounds."

"Is it safe yet?" Luke asked, returning to retrieve Lorelai's dirty dishes.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Secrets, and books deals, and Jess, oh my!" she shouted.

xXx

"Oh, please Matthew, I'd be terrified to read any book idea you'd come up with," Chris remarked slyly.

"Oh, now, play nice," Jess remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Not as terrified as I was when you had dreadlocks but in your hair," Matthew remarked.

Jess almost spit out his drink. "Chris had dreads?" He eyed his fair-haired friend. "You so do not have the face for it."

Matthew smirked, playing with one of his stray dreads. "Some things only a brother can do," he teased.

"Here we go," Jess remarked, turning to the waitress. "Another pitcher?" he asked, handing her a five. She smiled and sauntered off.

"Oh shit," Chris remarked, changing the subject. "Here come Valerie. Any chance she hasn't spotted me?"

"No," Matt and Jess replied simultaneously.

"Hey, Val!" Jess remarked, grinning to eagerly. The brunette by the door waved at Jess and scampered over to them.

"Dude, not cool," Chris hissed, shooting Jess daggers. Jess grinned at Matt who was trying to sustain his laughter since Valerie could now see his face.

"Hey guys," she replied, sliding next to Chris without asking. "How's it going?"

"The eternal question," Matthew joked philosophically.

"Oh my god, that reminds me," Valerie began, wide eyed. "My philosophy professor was totally hitting on me today..."

Jess rolled his eyes for the third time that night. Some professor was always hitting on her in every story he told. He tilted his head towards Matt, signaling they should leave.

"Guys, enjoy our beer," Matt remarked as the waitress brought over a full pitcher.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked desperately as Val linked arms with him. Jess could barely contain his laughter.

"Oh, you know, just over to the bar," Matt replied. He winked at Chris. "It's time we get Jess laid."

"Funny!" Jess remarked, pulling Matt over to the bar. The guys always made cracks about Jess not dating, and he had to admit, it was time to move on. He'd spent most of his time in Philadelphia finishing his book, hoping for the chance to prove to Rory that he had changed and matured. He thought the book would be enough to convince Rory that he was ready for a relationship, that he could finally commit himself to her, but she was stuck on Logan. Just the very mention of the guy's name was enough to disgust him. But, it had been almost a month since he'd last seen Rory and she'd made it perfectly clear that she was in love with Logan and not with him.

He chugged a Heineken as he and Matt went upstairs to the second floor of the bar. Yes, it was time to move past Rory Gilmore. The prospect of dating someone else made him uneasy, but he knew he had to move on. She had, and he wasn't going to pine in self pity. It was time.

xXx

Her name was Randy Manning. Her actual name was Miranda, which she let slip after singing a round of kareoke at Paddy Wacks, the guys' favorite bar. She made Jess promise several times not to ever call her by her full name, twisting his pinkie around hers every time, a practice he would normally mock and scoff at. But with Randy's punk lock and hardened personality, he found the act oddly endearing.

She was gorgeous, that much went unsaid, but it wasn't her looks that hooked him. She had long blonde ringlets, which contrasted greatly with her sarcastic, smooth-talking persona. Randy was by all means one of the guys, just in heels. Her passion for music was what really first drew him to her. She was into most of the same bands he liked, The Clash, The Doors, Bowie, Metallica, and she was in college as a music major, learning how to work behind the scenes, as well as develop her vocals skills. She played acoustic guitar and frequently played around Philly, mainly for free on kareoke nights. Jess loved her voice, and he had to admit he was very critical of most female songwriters, but Randy was different. The second he laid eyes on her, he knew she was special, just as he knew Rory was. He clung to the idea that Randy might be the one to help him finally move past Rory.

Chris and Matthew adored her, but it was pretty impossible not to. It was nice to have the guys no longer harping on him about women, and he genuinely loved spending time with her. They were just friends for the moment, but he figured it was only a matter of time before one of them decided to take their relationship to the next level. He wasn't certain what it was he was waiting for, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to make the first move. He was content with the idea of Randy, but not so sure about the actuality of a relationship.

xXx

"Hey, Jess!" Randy called, rushing up the steps inside of Truncheon Books. "Jess!" her voice echoed all down the hallway upstairs where Matt and Chris lived. She bustled up the second set of stairs that led to Jess's third floor bedroom. "Coming in!" she announced loudly, before pushing open the heavy wooden door.

Randy squinted through the darkness, flicking on the main light switch. She rolled her eyes at Jess, covered in a mountain of blankets. "You are _not_ still sleeping," she remarked, grinning. She opened the blinds that were holding back the sunlight. "It's three p.m.," she remarked, bouncing over to his bed.

Jess yawned widely, hugging the pillow next to him. "Got in late," he mumbled, rolling over. "Too bright."

Randy hopped onto his bed, sitting inches away from him. "Up!" she insisted, wrestling the blankets from off of him.

Jess fought bitterly at first, but finally succumbed to Randy's protests. He was already awake, there was no point in fighting that fact. He turned to face her. "I hate you," he muttered, hitting her with a pillow.

"So dramatic," she remarked, throwing the pillow back onto the bed.

"A little privacy?" Jess asked, sliding out of bed.

Randy stifled a grin but she didn't blush. She turned around. "Not looking," she promised, crossing two fingers in the air. "Although, _really_ Jess, this modesty thing is a bit overplayed. I have seen naked guys before."

"You know, you shouldn't run around advertising that information," Jess insisted, pulling on a pair of boxer briefs and jeans. He grinned, walking around to her side of the bed. "Someone might think you're _easy_," he teased, grabbing her by the waist and wrestling her onto the bed.

"Stop! Stop!" Randy remarked, tears coming out of her eyes from laughing so hard. "Stop! It tickles!"

"Duh, it's supposed to," Jess insisted, getting up and leaving her to compose herself. He grabbed his White Stripes shirt from his closet and tossed it on, walking back over to Randy who was still sprawled out across his bed. He smiled at her. She looked adorable in her black band tee and jeans, looking up at him curiously. He grinned reaching his hand out to help her out.

"No, come down _here_," she whined, pulling him down on top of her. "It's much more fun down here."

Jess grinned, his hand full of her soft curls. "Then why'd you get me out of bed?"

Randy shrugged. "Dunno," she replied, her breath warm on his lips. "Wanted to see if it would work?"

"Oh yeah?" he remarked. "And now what?"

Randy slowed her breathing, eyes darting all over Jess. She brought her gaze back up to his face. "Well, in my humble experience, we have two options."

"Option one?"

"We get up and go have lunch," Randy replied.

"Option two?"

Randy paused, smiling. "We do this," she replied, her mouth reaching towards his.

Jess allowed himself to be drawn in by her, allowed her lips to ignite his. He kissed her back greedily. He couldn't remember the last time he kissed someone who wasn't intoxicated. Her mouth was strange and new, but everything felt so familiar.

He pulled back after a few minutes, smiling at her. "So much for the first option," he joked, rolling over to lie next to her.

"Yeah, well, the first option seemed kind of lame," she insisted. She turned to Jess. "So now that I have you attention..." she started, grinning manically.

"No!" Jess insisted, flipping her back over so that he was on top of her. "Absolutely not, and you cannot bribe me."

Randy pouted. "Oh, come on. You're being too judgmental. You'll love it inside, I _swear_."

Jess shook his head. "I should have known this was all a trick."

Randy gasped. "It was _not_ a trick," she insisted, smiling. "I just realized that since I now had some leverage, that I might as well attempt to use it."

"No," he insisted, bending down and kissing her forehead. "Make Chris go."

"Oh?" Randy began, a coy grin creeping across her face. "Do you want me to bribe him like I allegedly bribed you?"

Jess laughed. He'd been beat. A smug smirk crossed Randy's face. "Fine," he remarked. "I'll go. But I'm not going to that weird concert with you."

Randy sighed. "Okay, you might not love Saves the Day, but you would _love_ Say Anything. I swear."

Jess rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it," he replied, getting up.

Randy sat up grinning. "Wow, you're easy," she teased, climbing to her feet.

Jess fished in his closet for a button down shirt and quickly slipped it on over his tee shirt. He turned back to Randy. "So even though we opted out of option one, can we still get food?"

Randy nodded vehemently. "We have to go out though, because Chris broke the stove again, and Matt was reheating that gross indian food in the microwave." She scrunched her nose in disgust. "The smell is everywhere."

Jess rolled his eyes. He'd only met one person in his life who could tolerate indian food. He turned back to Randy. "Okay, but can we _not_ go to that lame health food place you and Anna took us to yesterday?"

Randy laughed. "Anna's a health nut. I'm not." She linked arms with him. "You know that."

"Lorenzo's?" he suggested as they exited the room.

"Greasy, super-sized pizza slices for under a dollar?" Randy grinned. "God, Jess, you sure know how to treat a lady."

"Huh," he remarked, leading her down the stairs. "Funny. Last time I looked I didn't see any ladies in sight."

Randy pursed her lips and Jess knew he'd pay for that remark later. He'd probably have to go in that weird record store Randy always talked about. He took in the sight of her as they slumped down the steps. It'd be worth it, he concluded. Besides, he'd learned from his last relationship that he needed to stop being so narrow-minded and open up. Apparently, Randy was up to the tough task of breaking him down.

xXx

That's it for this chapter! R/R for more!


	2. The Darker Days of Me and Him

Chapter Two:

xXx

"Hey!" Paris snapped, pulling the headphones out of Rory's ears. "Anne of Green Gables, Diana's here to see you."

Rory shot Paris a perplexed look. "Are we suddenly seven again?"

"What?" Paris shrugged. "I'm taking Children's lit. _It's required_," she defended, slumping down on her bed.

"Whatever," Rory muttered, stepping out of her room. "Hey Gwen Stefani!" Rory teased Lane.

"Not funny."

"Okay, uh, how about Hayley Williams?" she joked. "Ooh! Or that girl they let into Boys Night Out, which to me, ruins the name completely."

"Funny girl," Lane muttered, yanking her coat off. "Okay, time to be serious."

Rory made a show of collecting herself and wrinkling her forehead. "I'm the Condaleeza Rice of seriousness," she insisted.

"Okay, so, as you know, Spring Break is in a few days..."

"I will not go to any island, ski resort, or any place tacky, such as California," Rory warned, wagging her finger. "Paris and I barely survived Florida."

"Got ya," Lane nodded. "Anyway, my band was offered this gig for the weekend, and we decided it might be nice to just rent a hotel for the week and kick back a little."

"Interesting," Rory nodded.

"Well," Lane began. "I was talking to Luke about it, because I had to request time off and he mentioned he had a connection in the city where our gig was..."

"Luke has _city_ connections?" Rory remarked in awe. "All this time, he pretended to be such an anti-urban fan."

"I know, who would have thought?" Lane grinned. "Anyway, he was able to get us three rooms for a _great_ price."

"Awesome," Rory smiled. "Postcard?"

Lane shook her head. "Nope, I...well, _we_, the band want you to come!"

"What?" Rory asked. "But, why? I mean, sure, but...really?"

Lane nodded. "Plus, we're going to be in a strange city and it'd be nice to have one fan in the audience."

Rory nodded. "Well, okay...sure," she agreed. "Wait...where are we going?"

"Philadelphia!" Lane exclaimed, drumming her hands over a pretend drum. She grinned at Rory. "Now, I _know_ that it's not New York or anything, but Philly has a _great_ art scene right now and well, I think they'll really respond to our music, you know? Plus, it's a mini-vacation, minus the side order of cliche spring break festivities."

Rory ignored her joke, only processing one word, _Philadelphia_. "Um, Lane...Luke didn't by any chance reveal to you the source of this uh, connection, did he?"

Lane shook her head, frowning slightly. Rory wasn't as excited as she would have hoped. "No, I didn't think to ask."

"Well," Rory began. "It's just that, I think I might know who this uh, connection was."

Lane shrugged. "Okay?"

"Jess," Rory said slowly, crossing her arms.

"Oh," Lane replied, processing this information. She pondered for a moment then opted to shrug it off. "Well, I mean, you don't have to see him or anything," she remarked. "I doubt he'll even know you're there...unless you want him to know."

"I don't want him to know," Rory replied, suspiciously too fast.

"Well, you'll still go, right?" Lane pleaded. "_Please_," she begged. "See, I _need_ you to come, because well, Zach and I were going to share one room, and the guys were going to be in another one...and you'd have the last room, and just in case I spaz out with Zach, well I just really need you to be there."

Lane looked desperate. Rory sighed. "Okay," she said at last. "I'll go."

Lane grinned. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she remarked squeezing Rory. "Oh! One more thing."

"You want to invite Dean and Lindsey?" Rory suggested sarcastically.

Lane smirked. "No," she remarked. "I wanted to invite Paris...that is, if it's cool with you."

Rory blinked. "Really?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, I thought she might like it, and well, I know you mentioned she was upset about the fight she'd gotten into with her boyfriend, so I thought it might do her some good. Plus, I really need all the girls I can get, because a week with these boys will drive me insane."

Rory lowered her voice. "You are aware Paris has been known to drive people insane, correct?"

"Rory, yesterday, Gil and Brian ran around the house in my bras playing some weird game where they had to throw eggs and..."

"Okay, okay," Rory remarked, cutting her off. "Boys are weird, I get it." She turned back to her bedroom. "Paris!" she called.

Paris walked out slowly, eyebrows peaked in annoyance. "I'm not a dog, you know. I can't just be summoned."

Rory shot a look towards Lane. "You can still change your mind," she insisted.

Lane shook Rory's warning off and walked over to Paris. "Hey," she said, smiling. "So, my band has this gig in Philly and well, I came here to see if you and Rory may want to tag along with us."

Paris looked startled. "Me?" she asked, not fully comprehending Lane. "You want _me_ to come?"

Lane nodded. "I mean, it may not be your scene or anything, but I thought that it might be fun...and while I'm off doing band stuff, you and Rory can go sightseeing and exploring and just relax."

"It beats Florida," Rory insisted.

Paris shuddered, recalling their first attempt to dabble in having fun during Spring Break. "Well," she started. "I don't have any plans."

"Great!" Lane grinned. "So you'll go?"

Paris shrugged. "I guess," she replied, turning to Rory. "I'm not even telling Doyle," she grinned.

"That's the spirit," Rory remarked, suddenly looking forward to the trip.

"What about Logan?" Paris questioned, her eyes narrowing. "Think he'll care?"

Rory shrugged. "We're...not together anymore," she stated.

"What?" Lane remarked. "I thought..."

Rory cut Lane off. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's hard enough, you know? It's just better this way...for now anyway."

Lane nodded supportively. "So you're both single?" she teased.

Paris shrugged. "Doyle and I have gone our separate ways for the time being." She turned to Rory. "I'm not going to kiss you again," she insisted.

Lane's eyes widened, turning to Rory for confirmation.

"Good," Rory remarked, ignoring Lane. "It was a sucky kiss anyway."

"Right back at ya, sister," Paris remarked, rolling her eyes.

xXx

"Uh huh," Jess muttered, phone receiver pressed to his ear. "Yeah, I got it." He sighed. "It's no problem, really. Yeah. I know. Uh huh. Okay. Later."

Randy was sitting next to him, flipping through the pages of the book Jess had written. She looked up when she heard him set the receiver back down. "Stimulating conversation?" she teased.

Jess eased himself back against the bed. "Oh yeah," he muttered. "Nah, it was just my uncle. His daughter April wanted to visit the gallery again soon, so he asked me if it would be okay if they spent a weekend here."

"Aw, family man, huh?" Randy teased.

"Shut up," Jess muttered, grinning at her as he clamped a hand over her mouth.

Randy bit his finger, forcing him to remove his hand. He mussed her hair playfully.

"Well that's nice of you," Randy replied, shutting the book.

Jess shrugged. "I guess. Plus, he wanted to confirm that I booked rooms for friends of mine."

"Friends?" Randy questioned. "I didn't think you liked a soul beyond Chris and Matt and sometimes me."

"You're real funny today," Jess smirked. "Nah, they're just a band from my hometown. They're playing at Northstar on South Street next weekend, so I got them a few rooms at the Penns View Hotel, since Chris's dad works there and Luke just wanted to make sure everything was set."

Randy perked at the mention of a band. "Good music?"

Jess nodded. "You'd like them."

"All guy band?"

Jess shook his head. "The drummer's a girl. Lane. She's very...intense."

Randy nodded. "Well, we should meet up with them."

Jess tensed. "I don't know," he replied automatically. "They're not exactly friends, just people I knew and well, that was a long time ago. Let's just say I didn't leave on good terms..."

Randy pursed her lips, evaluating the situation with what little information Jess was feeding her. "So...you and Lane?" she assumed.

Jess paused, taking a minute to understand what she was saying. Once he did, he let out a loud laugh. "No!" he remarked, slapping her thigh. "Stop thinking into this. We just weren't close, and Lane would probably prefer not to see me."

"But she's accepting free rooms from you?" Randy questioned. "Sorry, but it just doesn't add up."

Jess sighed. "She doesn't know they're from me and as far as I know she doesn't even know I live here. She works for my uncle and when she mentioned she had a gig in Philly, he wanted to do something nice for her, so he contacted me and I was able to help him out. It's a favor for my uncle, and that's probably as much as Lane knows, okay?"

"Okay," Randy remarked, rolling her eyes. "Awfully defensive about the subject though."

Jess sighed, forcing Randy to maintain eye contact with him. "Lane and I did not date. We never even had one of those awkward almost kiss moments, I swear. But, I really do not want to get into my past right now, okay? So just let it go."

Randy nodded. "So mysterious," she replied, climbing out of his bed. She locked eyes with him, shooting him a peculiar glare. "I just can't help but feel there's something very important you're not telling me."

Jess reached for her arm and dragged her back into bed. "Randy, I'm not a secret criminal. I didn't kill anyone and there's no deep, dark secret, so stop looking for one. I just don't like thinking about my childhood and Lane just forces me to do that, understand?"

Randy allowed his words to soothe her worries, smiling at him. "Well, if you say so, I have no choice but to believe you."

"Good answer," Jess insisted, kissing her gently.

xXx

"Rock and roll!" Paris shouted, hopping out of the pseudo-tour bus that Zach normally used to make deliveries in. She'd downed five rum and cokes on the drive down and Rory wasn't far behind her with a solid four.

"Easy, boozy," Lane remarked, helping Paris walk into the hotel. She turned to Rory. "You okay?"

Rory nodded. "I'm awesome!" she shouted. She wasn't certain she was walking straight, but she _could_ walk. All of that drinking with Logan had at least built up her tolerance. Sadly, she couldn't say the same for Paris.

"I'm okay," Paris insisted, pushing Lane off of her as they started in to the hotel.

"My wife would kill me if she knew that there would be drunk college girls here," Gil muttered.

"Oh, hush," Rory replied, making a face at Gil. "Paris sort of has a boyfriend and we all know you're married."

"Yeah, chill out," Zach muttered. "Brian's the prude and he hasn't blushed once the entire way here."

"Hey," Brian muttered. "I'm not a prude. Having asthma doesn't make me a prude, Zach."

"No," Zach agreed, "Not getting women makes you a prude, Bri."

"Aw, now, let's be nice," Lane urged the guys, making her way to the check in counter. "Hi," she smiled to the receptionist. "We have three rooms under uh..." Lane froze. "Well, I'm not sure whose name they're under. Lane Kim, perhaps?"

The receptionist eyed her suspiciously, punching in her name. "Well, Ms. Kim, I'll need to see some id, but these names were booked under the name Jess Mariano."

Paris scrunched her nose and turned to Rory. "Bukowski guy?" she questioned.

Rory nodded. She'd forgotten that Paris and Jess and somewhat gotten along.

"Yes, Jess Mariano," Lane nodded. "That's us."

"Well, where's Mr. Mariano?" the receptionist asked.

Lane shrugged. "I don't know. Why?

"Because without his consent, we can't release the rooms for you," the receptionist replied.

"I knew something like this would happen," Brian remarked, slumping down into a chair. "But you guys never listen..."

"Shove it," Gil muttered, slumping down next to him.

"Wait, I thought just my name was enough," Lane replied, smiling.

"No, I'm sorry, but we need his id in order allow you to check in," the receptionist apologized.

Lane sighed. She turned to Rory. "Maybe I could call Luke and get his number?" She turned back to the receptionist. "If I have Jess call will that..."

The receptionist shook her head. "We need him here in person, with id."

"Great," Lane smirked, shaking her head. "Now what?"

Paris laughed. "Let's sleep in the van!" she opted, pressing towards the door.

"No, no," Rory remarked, raising her hand.

"We're not in class," Lane replied, mildly amused by her tipsy friend.

Rory grinned. "I know where Jess lives, so why don't I just go get him and force him to come over here?" she suggested. "I mean, this is _so_ like him, to just leave us hanging and..."

Lane nodded. "Well, he kind of did us a favor, Rory," Lane reminded her. "But, yeah, that sounds perfect."

"Okay," Rory said. "I'll take Paris and we'll come back with Jess."

Lane raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "You want me to let you two boozehounds roam the streets of Philly alone?"

Paris laughed. "Why does everyone think I'm a dog?" she asked, slapping Rory's arm.

Rory shrugged her off. "Okay, one, I'm not exactly drunk...just not exactly sober. But I know where I am and how to get to Jess's place. And, also, it's almost noon. Don't you guys have to check in with the bar in order to secure your spot?"

"She's right," Zach nodded. "I can't believe we almost forgot."

Lane nodded. "Okay, Rory. We'll head over to the bar and you guys go get Jess." She paused. "Want a ride?"

"No, time," Rory insisted. "It's not far from here and well, Paris and I should walk this off," she grinned.

"No argument there," Gil remarked.

"Come on," Rory insisted, dragging Paris by the arm. "We'll meet you guys back here soon," she promised.

"This is so typical," Paris remarked, following Rory outside and across the street.

"Typical?" Rory questioned, looking for Locust Street. She pulled Paris along with her.

"Well, it's just that, this is typical behavior for us," Paris grinned. "Drunk before noon on Spring Break."

Rory laughed, still buzzed. "We _cannot_ let Jess know we're drunk," she told Paris. "That is _very_ important."

"Okay," Paris insisted. "I'll try my best." She hurried along with Rory's fast pace. "So, what's the deal with the two of you anyway?"

"Who? Jess and I?" Rory questioned.

"Yeah."

"There's no deal," Rory insisted. "In fact, I don't even know that we're friends anymore. I kind of last left him on bad terms."

"Right," Paris recalled. "After the whole Logan disaster."

Rory rolled her eyes. "It's hard to keep track of all Logan's disasters."

"I told you he was bad news," Paris insisted. "Didn't I?"

Rory sighed. "Yes you did Paris," she remarked. "Aha!" she grinned, spotting Locust Street. "Hurry up!"

Paris clanked along with her, trying desperately not to fall out of her heels. She pushed her dark corduroy jacket back onto her shoulder. "Hey, Rory!" she remarked.

"Yeah?" Rory asked, slowing her pace now that she knew where they were.

"We should start a band," Paris insisted. "Like Lane."

"We're both musically challenged," Rory reminded Paris. "Remember when you took up playing the recorder last September? Birds were diving into our windows to commit suicide just to get the noises out of their ears!"

"It wasn't _that _bad," Paris defended.

"Here we are," Rory announced, pointing to Truncheon Books.

"What is this place exactly?"

Rory shrugged. "Part gallery, part bookstore, part printing press. They had a poetry reading last time I was here."

"Very New York," Paris nodded.

"Very," Rory agreed, walking inside.

"Should I call out for him?" Paris asked, scanning around the empty room.

"No!" Rory hissed, clamping her hand over Paris's mouth. "Playing it cool, remember?"

Paris nodded, then tensed, thinking of something. "Rory," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I don't think I ever learned how to play it cool."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I should have known," she muttered, walking towards the staircase.

"Can I help you?" a black guy with dreadlocks asked, ambling over to them.

Rory squinted. "You're...uh...Matthew right?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah...have we met?" he asked, studying her.

"Hey!" Chris shouted, coming in from a second room. "Matt, did you hear the song Randy wrote about Jess?" he laughed. "It's hysterical. I think she dubbed it, 'Clad in Leather, Hanes His Way'." He stopped, noticing Rory and Paris. "Hey," he remarked, pointing towards Rory. "Don't I know you?"

"Well, um..." Rory started.

"That's so not the name!" a blonde yelled, chasing after Chris, guitar strapped around her shoulder. She too spotted Rory and Paris. "Oh, sorry, didn't know we had customers." She raised her hand to her mouth, apologetically.

"Oh, we're not customers," Paris started, shaking her head. "No, we're..."

"Hey, you look familiar," the blonde remarked, scrutinizing Rory. "I know that sounds totally weird, but you do..."

"Got it," Matt remarked clasping his hands together. He turned to Chris. "You remember, Lady Ashley," he replied, grinning.

"Ah, yes, Lady Ashley the infamous," Chris beamed, extending his hand. "That's right! We weren't introduced, but you came to the shindig we had here about two months ago, right?"

Rory nodded, feeling particularly shy all of a sudden. "Yeah," she replied. "That was me."

"Okay, well, then why do I know that face?" the blonde remarked, still puzzled, as Jess began to hop down the stairs. Rory watched as he slowly came into focus, suddenly wishing she never came here.

"Duh," Chris remarked, ignoring protests from Matt. "Jess had pictures of her..."

"Dude!" Matt cut him off, dragging him by the collar. "We have an exhibit to tend to, don't we?"

Chris turned, spotting Jess, then turning back to Randy. "Right," he remarked, following Matt. "Good seeing you again, Lady Ashley," he teased, before scurrying away.

Paris turned to Rory. "Are they talking about Hemingway?" she asked.

Rory nodded. "Well, at least, I think so," she replied.

"Hey," Jess said, not making eye contact. "I...uh...what are you doing here?"

Rory shifted awkwardly. "Hep Alien," was all she could muster.

"That's the band name," Paris chimed in.

Jess stared at Paris quite befuddled. He turned back to Rory. "Are you guys drunk?" he laughed.

Rory's cheeks burned, while Paris giggled. "Just uh, Paris," Rory insisted, feeling embarrassed.

"Right," Jess nodded. Rory could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Okay, so your name's Ashley?" Randy remarked, completely lost in their conversation.

"No," Rory insisted. "It's a joke, I'm guessing."

Jess rolled his eyes and turned to Randy. "It's from a book," he replied.

"Right," Randy remarked, nodding. "Your book?" she asked, defensively, suddenly feeling very possessive and unsure why.

Jess sighed. "No," he muttered. "Look, Randy, could you give us a second?" he pleaded.

Randy crossed her arms, indicating that she wasn't about to leave any time soon.

"Look," Rory began, ignoring Randy's glaring eyes. "The hotel rooms were booked in your name and unfortunately we need you to come with us to show them id, otherwise we can't get into our rooms."

Jess nodded. "I told them to put the rooms under Lane Kim."

"Well, they're obviously morons," Rory remarked, eager to leave. "Look, I'm sorry to come here like this and I'm sorry to disrupt your life and everything. And we really do appreciate your getting us rooms, but I have to ask you this one last favor."

"Well..." Jess began, still indecisive.

"Hey," Paris began. "It's the least you could do after I covered for you."

"What?" Rory and Jess asked at the same time.

Paris threw her hands up in frustration. "Uh, you were both there!" she remarked obnoxiously. She pointed to Rory. "You were dating Dean and you and Jess were all flirty and Dean was all angry, and there was mac and cheese, and Dean got mad, and I think he had ice cream? And then I told Dean I had a crush on Jess, when I _didn't_ have a crush on Jess, _you_ did, but anyway, I saved you!"

Rory clamped her hand over Paris's mouth, wondering why Lane ever invited her. "I did not have a crush on Jess," she remarked, releasing her grip.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Right, 'cause we all know how that played out," he said shaking his head.

Rory shot him daggers. "Look, could you just do this one thing, please? It's not even for me, it's for the band. Do it...for music," she remarked.

"We were about to go out," Randy insisted, butting in, not too keen on what she was hearing. She turned to Jess icily.

"Is your name Shane by any chance?" Rory asked, pointing to Randy.

Randy laughed. "Uh, no, it's Randy."

Rory nodded. "Just checking."

"Oh, come on," Jess muttered.

"Look," Rory began. "If you do this, then consider it payment for the car you totaled, huh?"

Jess laughed. "Okay, we're gonna play this game now? Really?"

Rory nodded. "If we have to..."

"Are you Lane?" Randy interrupted, believing her former suspicions about this Lane character to be true.

"No..." Rory began, not even looking at Randy.

"Lane has glasses," Paris explained.

"Look, Randy, just drop it," Jess remarked, turning away from her. "Now, I have to go take care of this. I'll meet you at Cosi's in a half hour. Okay?"

Randy shrugged. "I'm suddenly not hungry," she remarked, lifting the guitar off of her shoulder and setting it down against the banister.

Jess sighed. "Can you please just cut me some slack?" he begged.

Randy looked determined not to.

Rory sighed. "Can we go?"

Randy looked up at Rory. "Oh, my god," she replied nodding. "Chris was right. She is the girl in the pictures." She turned to Jess. "Isn't she?"

"Randy, seriously, I'm leaving," Jess remarked, rushing to the door. "I'm not waiting for you," he called back to Rory.

"Like I expected you to," Rory remarked, grabbing hold of Paris.

"It was _very _nice meeting you, Candy," Paris called over her shoulder.

xXx

Randy was thoroughly disgusted with herself. She was a secure person. She'd never been the jealous type, never the girl to care if her boyfriend had female friends. But she'd never experienced such tension between two people as she did between Jess and that brunnette. She hated herself for what she was doing, but she couldn't stop. Her body was on auto-pilot and her mind was taking the backseat in this one. She just had to _know_.

She finally found the box she had been searching for, buried deep in Jess's closet. She opened it quickly, tearing through the contents. Pictures fluttered everywhere.

She grabbed the first photo to his the ground, a picture of a girl reading a book on a bed. She squinted. It was definitely the brunnette. She grabbed another. Same brunnette, this time sticking her tongue out while she flaunted his _The Clash_ shirt.

Randy fell to her knees. Jess had lied. He'd lied about everything. He lied when he told her he'd never been in love before. He'd lied when he swore there was nothing remotely weird about his past, just bad memories. She glanced down at the last photo. This certainly didn't seem like such a terrible memory.

She grabbed a faded blue post-it that lay between two photos. The writing was worn and rushed, and the note was brief. _Hey, Salinger...meet me at the bridge at nine. I won't be home before then -- Rory._

Rory. Something clicked in Randy's brain. Jess's book...the dedication...Chris had told her he'd written it for Rory. But that was before she and Jess began seeing each other. That was before Randy was emotionally linked to him. That was before she knew him, or at least, before she thought she knew him.

She sprinted to the bed, reaching for the book that lay underneath. She wasn't much of a reader, but she'd spent the previous night struggling through the rest of the book. She figured she owed it to him to at least skim his novel once. How many people actually were able to write books? Not many. Randy felt a certain pride in knowing that Jess was one of those few.

She flipped to the dedication page. She hadn't read the dedication before, assuming it was one of those proverbial quotes he lived by or some thank you to some random family member or teacher. Now, she devoured the paragraph, word by word. Her heart dropped.

_To the only person brave enough to call me on my shortcomings and accept me in spite of them. To the eternal optimist, possessor of the wittiest and the most amazing mind I've ever encountered. Thank you for forcing me not to settle, thank you for never wavering in your belief in me, and thank you most of all for inspiring and capturing me._

It was one thing to loathe your boyfriend for his past. Randy wasn't the type to judge or condemn. Whatever had happened in Jess's past was in his past, as far as she was concerned. But, it was quite another thing for him to write a book for a girl he clearly loved, and clearly wasn't over. It also didn't help that she happened to look like a high fashion model and obviously had the intelligence to accompany her looks.

No, she wasn't mad at Jess for still loving her. She wasn't even mad at him for lying about her. She was mad at herself for falling for yet another guy who would remain emotionally unavailable, and she knew it would be best to leave and call their relationship quits.

But, she couldn't quite get herself up off the floor.

xXx

Next chapter's almost done! Thanks for all the feedback!


End file.
